I've been looking to get into a kickboxing or Muay thai gym in my local area and I've been wondering something...

What's the difference between training in Muay Thai and training in Kickboxing? I know there are supposed differences and muay thai supposedly uses more elbows and knees, but is there really any significant difference? Are there general differences in what to expect from training in Muay thai and training in "kickboxing"? Or is it all based on individual gyms with no general expectation of what to expect from one style as opposed to another? I'm sure you're used to hearing this question, I'm just curious as to what I can really expect to be different, if anything, between the two.

Any information you give will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

-Nate

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"The pessimist knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" -Warrel Dane

The knees and elbows are big differences between MT and most kickboxing styles, but not the only ones. MT also uses leg kicks, which are not allowed in all kickboxing orgs, and MT has some limited grappling and throws, which are also generally not allowed in kickboxing.

You are correct that the individual gym will have their own rules.

_________________________"In case you ever wondered what it's like to be knocked out, it's like waking up from a nightmare only to discover it wasn't a dream." -Forrest Griffin

Wow, you're not even allowed to kick someone in the legs in kickboxing? Hmm... yeah, I can see how that and no throwing, grappling, kneeing or elbowing would really change the way you look at your training. OK thanks!

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"The pessimist knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" -Warrel Dane

Kickboxing is an icnredibly general term with a lot of variation, you really need to check the individual place out. Some kickboxing gyms allow leg kicks, some don't, some allow knees, most don't. It's kind of like saying Karate. whereas muay thai is very specific.

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Member of DaJoGen MMA school under Dave Hagen and Team Chaos fight team under Denver Mangiyatan and Chris Toquero, ran out of Zanshin Martial Arts in Salem Oregon: http://www.zanshinarts.org/Home.aspx,